The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1887-03-23
TALES OF THE ROCKS.
The Past of Europe, as Told by
Geology.
William 1. and the New Forest-Ire1and's
Snakes - Physical Changes and
Meteorological Facts-In
the Matter of Diet.


the Matter of Diet.
All things new and old are weighed
In the balance of searching inquiry and
assaycd in the crucible of fierce
criticism. Every increase of knowl-
edge throws more powerful glare
upon the things that are. AS the light
is concentrated and directed to the
events of history or the beliefs of the
present, some of them shrivel up and
pass off in the smoke of exploded error.
The gold of truth comes out purified
from the dross of superstition. and as
the lake flashes back the sunbeams
from its surface, so it sends back re-
Elections from the searching light
thrown upon it, and thereby stands
more clearly revealed. 1t is,
then, not surprising that the char
acters of many of our Kings should
be found varying with the amount
of light thrown upon them. Now, a
monarch's character appears in bright
colors; and then; again, the increased
light shows it much darker-the
brightness has perhaps been only white
wash laid on by some partial historian.
In other cases, some blots disappear as
the light grows stronger-they have,
perchance, been only mud thrown by
some enemy 1t is. however, strange
and unexpected that geology should
step in to correct the historian, and re-
move y grave stain from the character
ofone of England Kings. We have all
felt how greatly to the discredit of our
First William was that making of the
New Forest, of which we read in our
histories. We learn how he laid waste
villages, and drove out the inhabitants
to make a royal hunting ground. Our
histories relate it as a fact, and
cast no shadow of doubt upon it.
And now geology stepsin, and says that
such thing never happened. An ex-
animation of the geological features of
the New Forest has led to this remark
able conclusion: ITO the eye of the
geologist, says Prof. Ramsay, sit
easily appears that the wet and un-
kindly soil produced by the clays and
gravels of the district forms a suffi-
Gent reason why in old times, as now,
it never could have been a cultivated
and populous country, for the soil for
the most part is poor, and probably
chiefly consisted of native forest-land
Chat is, uncultivated land even in the
Conqueror's day."
And so this meteorological bids us
acquit our monarch of stain which
has rested on his name these long GEN.
turtles. Shall we, then, accept this evil
dence as conclusive, and let go the
long-cherished bit of history We can
only reply in the words of Aristotle:
1.-THE matter is before you-judge OF
It," There are, however, two historic
al considerations which should have
made our chroniclers pause ere they
accepted the story. In the first place,
forests and wild beasts were, we should
suppose, only too plentiful in England
at that period. A vast area of the
country was covered with woods,
which doubtless swarmed with wild
animals of various kinds. Is it likely
that, under such circumstances, any
one would take the trouble to make q
forest for hunting? And then, VIII.
lam l. being foreigner, and having
taken land from the natives for his owr
followers, stories to his diseredit woult
be sure to arise. Some of this false
coinage would be very likely to be cir
culated by distortions.
Not only has the light of geological
truth been thrown over the broac
fields of knowledge, but it has also
penetrated into various out-of-the-way
corners and brought to light many ode
and unsupported facts. To account fol
the smaller number of reptiles il
Ireland, tradition says they were
driven out by ST. Patrick. And ever
on this obscure problem geology ha'
shed light, and given a scientific
reason for the fact. 1t has been wei
established by geological reasoning
that Britain has been again and agar
united to the continent, and as many
times severed from it. Here. then, il
the key to explain the mystery of tht
reptiles. 1t appears that there are
twenty-five native species in Belgium,
eleven in England, and only five ir
Ireland. Professor Edward Forbes
drew attention to this, and explained
it by supposing that they migrated
from the continent westward
while Britain and Ireland were
united to it. Suppose them spreading
from some continental center toward
our land. We know that different
species vary greatly in their powers Of
colonizing; some spread quickly, and
Others slowly, During the continuance